Last year’s winner impressed us again with its light frame, refined handling and outright speed. But the Brain-equipped fork and rear shock are what make this bike shine. Inertia-controlled valves lock out the suspension when the trail is smooth, but automatically open in rougher conditions. That allows the Epic to scream across rutted singletrack, while still climbing and accelerating as fast as a hardtail.

Testers praised the Anthem’s versatility: “It let us climb as fast as our legs allowed, and to rail descents with ease,” said one. The bike stuck to a chosen line and the Maestro suspension soaked up bumps whether we were pedaling or braking. It also was the most nimble of the group, but never felt twitchy.

This quick-handling 29er offered excellent pedaling efficiency, which let us power uphill without flipping any shock levers to increase the platform damping, even on near-vertical pitches. But it also ruled the descents: It felt smooth and was easy to whip around corners. That versatility—and a mix of smart, reliable components—allowed the Tallboy AL to stand out in a field of quality bikes.

Another repeat winner, the SB-95 offers a stunning blend of stability and sharp handling. It bombed down steep chutes, but also carved around off-camber sweepers. The magic rests with the Switch suspension, which one tester described as brilliant: “The way it feels so efficient while pedaling yet smooth and controlled in the rough left me in awe.”

Thanks to the rise of enduro-style events, which are best contested on bikes that ascend well and descend like hellions, there’s been renewed interest in 6-inch-travel bikes. That’s driving a lot of innovation. Of the three bikes we tested, the Yeti delivered the best suspension performance and the most dialed package. "It snapped out of corners with authority and sped through the high-speed chunk like it was on rails,” said one tester.

This playful model has a balanced blend of stability and speed. That makes it ideal for new mountain bikers who want a forgiving platform to learn on, but don't want to be held back when they’re ready to tackle more challenging terrain. When pushed hard, the Scale clung to the trail and responded quickly, like an XC race bike. It is slightly more expensive than the other two finalists, but the bike’s smoother fork makes the extra cost worthwhile.

All three bikes in this category had spirited rides. But the Jamis rode away from the pack, thanks to its steel frame that took the edge off rocks, ruts and other trail obstacles. We didn’t expect to find such a damped, refined ride on a bike at this price. “It rode like it cost much more,” said one tester.

The Superfly won over our testers with its smooth trail manners. “Everything worked flawlessly,” said one. The bike’s low center of gravity gave it a stable, predictable ride, which we appreciated when speeds increased. When it was time to swerve around obstacles, the bike’s minimal weight—it’s three pounds less than the others in this category—let us make deft line changes.

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